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Biomedical subjects

S Laine

Publications and source records attributed to S Laine.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Laparoscopic removal of the acutely inflamed gall bladder.

Seventy-six patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis between June 1991 and April 1995 at our clinic and were retrospectively reviewed. Seventy per cent of the operations could be completed laparoscopically with uneventful recovery. In 15 cases the procedure was converted into an open one. Three patients had to be reoperated, one of them died in myocardial infarction three weeks after the reoperation. The mean operative time was 95 minutes (range 45-180). The average postoperative hospitalisation was 3.1 days. The laparoscopic method is suitable for removal of the acutely inflamed gall bladder. The procedure is more difficult and time-consuming than in elective cases, and conversion are more frequent.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Thyroid antibodies in association with thyroid malignancy II: Qualitative properties of thyroglobulin antibodies.

Qualitative properties of thyroglobulin (Tg) antibodies, in association with thyroid malignancy, suspected malignancy or other thyroid diseases, were studied in 177 patients. Retrospective clinical analysis revealed 137 patients to have thyroid carcinoma and 40 to have other thyroid diseases. Serum Tg was assayed by an immunoradiometric method. Thyroid microsomal (AMC) and Tg antibodies were measured by the particle agglutination method and the avidity of Tg antibodies by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Assessment of the qualitative properties of Tg antibodies revealed that the high-avidity antibodies especially seem to bind circulating Tg. Thus any Tg value from a sample with detectable Tg antibodies is unreliable and should be interpreted with caution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Initial experience.

Fifty-two patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Oesophagogastroscopy, ambulatory 24-hour pH-recording and oesophageal manometry were evaluated both preoperatively and at follow-up. Forty-seven operations were completed laparoscopically, five were converted to laparotomy. There was no mortality, but minor postoperative complications occurred in four patients. The mean hospital stay after a laparoscopic operation was three days and sick leave 14 days. After three months, 94% of the patients were free of reflux symptoms, oesophagogastroscopy showed normal findings in 95% of the patients and oesophageal 24-hour pH-values were normal in 95% of the patients. Dysphagia (28%) and gas bloating (17%) were the most frequent postoperative complaints. A total of 94% of the subjects were satisfied with the result. Our initial experience of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication shows that the operation is safe and efficient in the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Hematopoietic growth factors stimulate paraprotein isotype production by bone marrow mononuclear cells in an aggressive case of multiple myeloma.

We describe a patient with multiple myeloma (MM), whose bone marrow (BM) cells were capable of spontaneous paraprotein isotype secretion, which could be strongly stimulated by hematopoietic growth factors (GFs), such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), G-CSF and IL-3. Ig production by BM cells from another five MM patients and four control patients with non-malignant hematological diseases could not be stimulated by these GFs. The results indicate that GFs, at least in some instances, can activate tumoral plasma cells in patients with MM. This possibility should be taken into account when the utility and effectiveness of GFs in the treatment of MM is evaluated.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A novel method to quantitate methylation of specific genomic regions.

A new solid-phase primer extension method has been developed for the quantitation of methylation differences and is described here. The method is less cumbersome than Southern blot analysis, expresses the results in a numerical format, can be adapted to a microtitration well format, and thus allows the analysis of a large series of samples. The model gene analyzed here is the calcitonin gene, but the method can be adapted to the analysis of methylation alterations in any area of the genome. The primer extension method clearly differentiated hypermethylated samples from normally methylated samples and a range for normal values could be determined. In quantitation experiments the method showed linearity in a range from 2% to 100% malignant blasts diluted with normal leukocytes.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1994

A prospective study of humoral immune responses to cow milk antigens in the first year of life.

Previous studies have shown that in cow milk allergy the specific immune response to dietary cow milk antigens is deficient. This study aimed at delineating the development of humoral immune response to cow milk antigens in healthy infants. Twenty-five healthy newborns were enrolled, and seen at scheduled visits at the ages of three, six and eleven months, and they formed two groups: those breastfed and those fed adapted cow milk formulae. The local immune response in the gut was approximated using the ELISPOT assay of circulating antibody secreting cells. At the age of three months, in the formula fed group, cells secreting specific IgA to cow milk antigens were detected despite low levels of IgA serum antibodies. The total number of IgA secreting cells increased with age (p = 0.001). The milk in the infant diet directly influenced this development so that the age related increase was significantly greater in the formula fed group (p = 0.04). The results indicate that diet has a significant effect on the developing immune system, and that healthy infants are able to respond in an antigen specific fashion to dietary antigens, which may be central in attaining clinical tolerance of such antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Thyroid antibodies in association with thyroid malignancy. I. Simultaneous occurrence of thyroiditis and thyroid malignancy.

Occurrence of thyroid antibodies and thyroiditis in association with thyroid malignancy, suspected malignancy or other thyroid diseases was studied in 177 patients. Retrospective clinical analysis revealed that 137 patients had thyroid carcinoma (108 papillary carcinomas, 10 occult papillary carcinomas, 14 follicular carcinomas, and 5 other carcinomas) and 40 had other thyroid diseases. Thyroid microsomal (AMC) and thyroglobulin antibodies (ATG) were measured by the particle agglutination method. Clinically significant thyroid antibody titers and histological or clinical features of thyroiditis were seen in nine patients with thyroid carcinoma, being equally prevalent in follicular and papillary carcinomas. Taking into account the prevalence of positive AMC antibodies and thyroid carcinoma in Finland, the highest predicted prevalence of simultaneously occurring thyroid carcinoma and thyroiditis in the under 40 age group should be 0.002% and in the over 40 age group 0.006%. In the present material the observed occurrences in corresponding age groups were unexpectedly high (4.7% and 5.2%). The results may partly be due to patient selection, but they also suggest that there might be a link between thyroiditis and thyroid carcinoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Production of immunoglobulin isotypes by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in multiple myeloma.

The immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype (IgG, IgA, IgM) production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 28 patients having multiple myeloma (MM) was analyzed. The total Ig secreting capacity of the cells, as measured by ELISA from the cell culture medium, was not found to be significantly reduced in MM (1,118 +/- 1,394 micrograms/l) as compared to the values of 9 controls (898 +/- 520 micrograms/l), but a significant isotype switching towards the tumor paraprotein type was observed in the patients with active MM (p < 0.001). The percentage of IgG in the active IgG-MM was 88 +/- 11% and that of IgA in the active IgA-MM 83 +/- 13%, the control values being 44 +/- 11% for IgG and 44 +/- 13% for IgA. The proportions of isotypes resembled those of the controls in the inactive phase of the disease. Despite this dominating paraprotein class isotype production, no evidence of Ig gene clonal rearrangements was found in cells studied by either Southern blotting or the more sensitive polymerase chain reaction method, which suggests that polyclonal rather than monoclonal PB B cells are responsible for the Ig production observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Towards automatic detection of point mutations: use of scintillating microplates in solid-phase minisequencing.

Simplification of molecular genetic techniques is one of the main features of large-scale clinical applications of mutation analysis. The solid-phase minisequencing method, which is based on single-nucleotide primer extension by a DNA polymerase on a solid support, is an easy way of detecting point mutations of previously known locations. Here the procedure was further simplified by the use of microplates made of scintillating plastics, a microplate format scintillation counter and an automatic microplate washer. DNA samples from patients with either a hereditary aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA) gene point mutation or an acquired N-ras gene mutation were analyzed by three different minisequencing detection procedures utilizing tritiated nucleotides. The new counting method with scintillating plates was compared to traditional liquid scintillation counting in scintillation vials or to another microplate format procedure, which requires addition of scintillation liquid. In all three methods, normal individuals, heterozygous carriers of the AGA mutation and homozygous patients could be unequivocally discriminated. The N-ras mutation in leukemic blasts could also be detected with high resolution. The coefficients of variation and reproducibility of the scintillating microplate method were almost identical to those of the traditional liquid scintillation assay, which was used as a reference method. The technical innovations adopted here for performing minisequencing assays reduce significantly the labor required without affecting the quality of the results.

Aspartylglucosylaminase↗
PubMed1993

Immunologic disturbances in cow's milk allergy, 2: Evidence for defective interferon-gamma generation.

We have investigated the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the regulation of antigen-specific T-cell function in patients with cow's milk allergy. The study population consisted of 22 patients, aged from 7.6 to 56.9 months, who had challenge-proven cow's milk allergy (CMA) manifested with either skin (n = 9) or gastrointestinal (n = 13) symptoms. In addition, 11 age-matched children and 6 adults, mean (SD) age 31 (7) years, were studied as controls. Patients with challenge-proven CMA were rechallenged to establish whether they had acquired clinical tolerance to cow's milk. The spontaneous and mitogen-induced IFN-gamma and interleukin-4 (IL-4) generation of isolated lymphocytes was evaluated in vitro with commercial ELISA Kits at diagnosis and at reassessment. At diagnosis, the IFN-gamma production was not detectable in patients with CMA as compared with control children. IL-4 production was almost undetectable in all subjects in this study. However, at reassessment the CMA patients who had acquired clinical tolerance to cow's milk (n = 16) showed enhanced IFN-gamma production, when compared with that of control children, but still lower when compared with that of healthy adults. Our results indicate that the maturation of IFN-gamma producing T-cells is delayed in CMA, which could lead to a disturbance in the regulation of T-cell function. This defect might be an important etiologic factor for CMA.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1992

Enhancement of the circulating antibody secreting cell response in human diarrhea by a human Lactobacillus strain.

Human Lactobacillus sp strain GG (Lactobacillus GG) administered during acute rotavirus diarrhea has been shown to promote clinical recovery. To elucidate the immune mechanisms behind such a favorable outcome, the ELISPOT (solid phase enzyme-linked immunospot) assay of Ig- and specific antibody-secreting cells among circulating lymphocytes was used, giving indirect evidence of the immunologic events in the gut. After rehydration, 39 children with acute rotavirus diarrhea, mean age 16 (SD 6) mo, randomly received either a Lactobacillus GG fermented milk product (study group) or a pasteurized yogurt (placebo group). The duration of diarrhea was significantly shorter in the study group than in the placebo group [mean 1.1 (SD 0.6) versus 2.5 (SD 1.4)d, p = 0.001]. Lactobacillus GG therapy was associated with a significantly enhanced nonspecific humoral response during the acute phase of the infection, reflected in the IgG, IgA, and IgM Ig-secreting cell numbers. At convalescence, 90% of the study group versus 46% of the placebo group had developed an IgA specific antibody-secreting cell response to rotavirus (p = 0.006). The results indicate that Lactobacillus GG promotes recovery from rotavirus diarrhea via augmentation of the local immune defense. Furthermore, specific IgA response to rotavirus is endorsed, which is possibly relevant in protection against reinfections.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

The effect of ciprofloxacin and doxycycline plus metronidazole on lower genital tract flora in patients with proven pelvic inflammatory disease.

Alterations in the lower genital tract flora were studied during antimicrobial treatment of 36 women with acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Sixteen women received ciprofloxacin, and 20 received doxycycline plus metronidazole. Both regimes eradicated Chlamydia trachomatis in all cases and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in all except one in which combination treatment failed because of resistance of the organism to tetracycline. Both regimes eradicated Mycoplasma hominis in all cases, while ciprofloxacin was somewhat less effective than combination treatment against Ureaplasma urealyticum. Ciprofloxacin was less effective than combination treatment against Gardnerella vaginalis. The incidence of Candida infection increased equally in both groups, although symptoms necessitating antifungal treatment were rare.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Performance of two agglutination techniques in the detection of thyroid antibodies and assessment of their clinical significance.

Two clinically most widely used agglutination tests, Thymune and Serodia distributed by Wellcome and Fjirebio/Ames, respectively, to determine thyroid autoantibodies were compared. The Serodia tests seemed to be considerably more sensitive than the corresponding Thymune tests; first, Serodia tests resulted in several new positive samples and second, 16% and 30% of positive thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomal antibodies by Serodia resulted in at least 16 times higher titres, respectively. Over 300 healthy blood donor sera were used to determine the occurrence of thyroid autoantibodies in normal population. Titre limits of 400 and 6400 in anti-thyroglobulin and anti-microsomal antibodies were adapted for clinical use, respectively, even though the results suggested that the lower titre limits could be applied for males and subjects younger than 40 years. These defined titre limits were applied to examine randomly selected clinical patient material gathered during 1 year. The main patient groups identified included patients with chronic thyroiditis, thyroid malignancy, diabetes. Graves' disease and rheumatoid diseases as well as patients with vaguely defined clinical conditions. Without the aid of antithyroglobulin antibodies only one patient with chronic thyroiditis would have been missed if thyroid microsomal antibodies were used alone. Thus, in general clinical practise thyroid microsomal antibodies can be used as a sole diagnostic test for autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The relation between serum sex steroid levels and plasma cell infiltrates in endometritis.

We measured serum levels of progesterone and estradiol among 35 patients with endometritis confirmed by endometrial biopsy. The onset of symptoms took place predominantly in the proliferative phase of the cycle. A negative correlation was found between the serum progesterone levels and the histopathologic severity of plasma cell endometritis. Our results suggest that the hormonal status contributes to the immune response and susceptibility to endometrial infection.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1989

Serum CA 125 in acute pelvic inflammatory disease.

Serum levels of CA 125 and other selected tumour markers were measured in 31 patients with proven pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Ten (32%) of the patients had elevated CA 125, one (4%) had elevated CEA, and none had elevated CA 15-3, AFP or beta 2-microglobulin. Compared to patients with normal CA 125, patients with elevated CA 125 were older, more often users of intrauterine contraceptive devices, had longer duration of symptoms, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and more often had an adnexal mass on pelvic examination. There was a correlation between CA 125 levels and the severity of adnexal inflammation as defined by laparoscopy. Isolation of specific micro-organisms from the upper genital tract was not associated with elevated CA 125. In most women serum levels of CA 125 decreased during treatment. PID should be considered as a major cause of positive CA 125 findings among young women.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Concentrations of tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor and C-reactive protein in serum in acute pelvic inflammatory disease.

We measured tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum of 29 patients with proven pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). TATI values were increased in seven (24%), paralleling increases in CRP. TATI was increased by about 3.5-fold in seven of eight patients with CRP concentrations greater than 90 mg/L, but in none of 21 patients with CRP concentrations less than 90 mg/L. TATI concentration and severity of PID as determined by laparoscopy or endometrial biopsy were not correlated. These results suggest that, in severe infections, regulation of TATI synthesis resembles that of acute-phase proteins.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1987

Microbiological and histopathological findings in acute pelvic inflammatory disease.

Upper genital tract infection was investigated in 45 women admitted to hospital for suspected acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Salpingitis was diagnosed by laparoscopy in 30 (67%) women. Histopathological evidence of endometritis was found significantly more often in the 30 women with salpingitis (87%) than in the other 15 women without salpingitis (33%). C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae, or both, were isolated from the upper genital tract in 14 of the 31 women who had both salpingitis and endometritis or endometritis only but in none of the four women who had salpingitis alone and in none of the 10 women who had no evidence of PID. Bacterial vaginosis was associated with histopathological evidence of upper tract infection. Non-chlamydial non-gonococcal organisms were frequently isolated from the upper genital tract. No organisms were isolated from the upper genital tract from 9 of 35 women with laparoscopic or histopathological evidence of PID compared with 7 of 10 women without evidence of PID. C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae in the endometrium was associated with lymphoid follicles comprising transformed lymphocytes, and correlated with the density of plasma cells on biopsy. The microbiological results support the recommendations of broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy for PID.

Acute Disease↗